johnston



A. L. JOHNSTON, In.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION EILED APR. 2. 191a A. L JOHNSTON, In.

ELECTRIC SWXTCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2. 1918.

Patented June 17, 1919.

STATES IATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW mascara aon'nsron,

JR, 0F meanest, V'fitGINfA, ASSidiIdR T6 mnrnoromrsn Enteritis amendments COMFANY, or oAMnnti, new JERSEY, A conrons'irion 0] new JEnsEY.

Application filed April 2, 1918.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANDREW LANGSTAFF JOHNSTON, Jr., a citizen of the United States, a resident of Richmond, Henrioo county. Virginia, but at present stationed at Newport News, in the county of Warwick and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in electric switches, and refers more particularly to switches in which a fuse is carried by the movable part of the switch; and the invention has for its object to provide a fused switch in which the switch knife may be entirely removed from the clips, which enables me to carry the kiiife to a suitable location away from the anel board where it will be convenient to renew the fuse.

The invention also contemplates the inspection' of fuse, also the re-fusing of the switch while in operative position on the panel board, and to this end the housing for the fuse is provided with an opening through which access may be had to the fuse; the housing being rotatable for the purpose of moving the opening away from a position in front of the fuse and to present the impefforate part of the housing to said fuse in order to confine the flame and gas and to protect surrounding parts when the fuse blows.

The invention also has for its object to provide an improved construction of knife switch suitable for carrying a fuse, and an improved construction of a. hinged clip whereby the switch knife may be readily removed therefrom.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, and in which similar reference symbols indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 isa. perspective view of an improved switch constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional view through the switch and panel board Fig.3 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the switch.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 17 1919. semi No. 226,335.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view detail.

Fig. 5 is an end view of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 66 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 77 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 8-8 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view through the blade receiving clip.

Fig. 10 is an elevational view of one portion of the switch blade.

Fig. 11 is an end elevational view of the same.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the switch beam and fire guard disassembled.

Fig. 13 is an clevational view ofone of the parts of the hinge clip; and

Fig. 14 shows one of the fuse renewals.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 designates a panel board having attached thereto as by the bolts 2 and 3 a pair of Clip bases 4 and 5.

As indicated in Fig. 1. the base 5 is provided with two longitudinally extending spaced slots into which are fitted a pair of upstanding plates 6 and 7, which together form the hinge clip for the switch. ()ne of these plates. 7, is illustrated in detail in Fig. 13, and is shown to preferably have in the iower' right hand corner thereof a perforatio'i'i' 8 arranged to register with a similar erforation 9 in the basis. 5, so as to receive a. fastening pin 10. The plates 6 and 7 are further provided with openings 11 through which is arranged to pass a bolt 12, which is locked against rotation by reason of its square head engaging a stop 59 on the plate 7 this bolt being threaded for receiving a butterfly nut 13, which is adapted to bind against and be locked by a spring washer 14. The belt 12 also passes through one blade 15 of the switch which has a slotted opening 16 therein for this purpose.

Theslotted end of the blade 15 is beveled, as indicated at 117 in Fig. 11, for facilitating insertion between the pair of plates 6 and 7, and is forniedwith enlargements is about the inner end of the slot 16; such enlargemerits being ada ted to fit into and turn freely in sockets 9 formed in thejinner faces of the planet and 7, as indicated in Fig. 13.

it its other end the blade 15 is formed showing a with a perforation 20 for receiving a screw 21 which also passes through a. registering perforation in the knife beam 22. This screw 21 also passes through a pair of clamping blocks 23 and 21 which are carried on the beam 22 by means of screws passing through perforations therein. lhe clamp ing block 24 serves to hold one end of the fuse 27 against the blade 15, which is made of copper or other suitable good conducting material.

In like manner the other end of the fuse 27, which is slotted as at 28 in Fig. 14, is received between a clamp block 29 and the adjacent part of a second switch blade 30, being held therebetwcen by a screw 31passing through said clamp block 29 and through both the beam and a rear clamping block 32. These clamping blocks 29 and 32 are held on the beam by screws passing through perforations similar to those described. in vulljllllCllUll with the before mentioned clamping blocks. The switch blade 30 is: also of copper or some other good conduct ing material, as it forms part of the circuit in which the fuse 37 is also included.

The central part of the fuse 1 7 which car ries the current alone, is preferably reduced in width, as may be seen at 33 in Fig. 11. there being also preferably a slot 34 in this reduced central part to reduce the blowing effect of large size fuses; and as may be seen to better advantage in Fig. 3, such reduced central part is offset or bulged outwardly away from the blades and knife beam.

The knife beam is. of course, of insulating material in order to compel the current to take the path offered by the fuse 27'. and .l deem it advantageous to protect this beam '22 from injury consequent upon the firing of the. fuse by inter-posing between such fuse and beam a guard Mica will be found to be an excellent material of which to make this guard 35, but obviously other materials might be used.

The knife beam 22 is of channel construe tion preferably, as appears in Fig. 12, the flanges 36 and 37 thereof adapted to overlie and engage beneath respectively the ends of the blades 15 and 30 which it engages. The guard 35 also conforms to the shape of the beam 22 and is, in like manner, supplied with similar flanges 38 and 39, the outer free edges 40 and 41 of which are turned up and down at right angles respectively, and take against the ends of the flanges 36 and 37 of the fiber beam.

The housing for the fuse consists of a cylinder 42, WhlCh is made of a non-inflammable insulating material closed at one end by the head or ferrule of similar material 43 having the internally threaded flange 44 enga ing similar threads on the end of said cylin er 42. Such head or ferrule 43 is, of course, slotted for the passage of the blade 30, and is also perforated, as indicated in Fi 1 to allow gas to escape. The opposite one of the cylinder 42 is closed by a disk 45 of noninfiammable insulating material. also perforated to allow gas to escape and. having a slot for the passage of the knife 15, such slot having an enlarged central part 4-6 to permit the withdrawal and insertion therethrough of the enlargements 18 on said switch blade.

The disk 45 is held in place against the cylinder end by means of a cap 47 of noninflammable insulating material, which is formed with a flange 48 passing about the cylinder end and riveted thereto as shown at 49 or secured in any desired manner by other means, it being necessary that the cylinder 42, together with the cap 47. may rotate independently and about the disk 45 so as to bring an opening 50, which is made for this purpose in the cylinder 42, alternately to positions in front of and away from the bulged central part 27 of the fuse. By bringing this (mening 50 to a position in front of the fuse allows an inspection of the fuse, or the screws 21 and 31 may be readily loosened to permit a blown fuse to be removed and a renewal inserted. After this operation the cylinder may be again rotated to remove the opening 50 to the opposite side of the beam 22 so as to present the imperforate wall of the fiber cylinder to the fuse.

The switch blade 30 is adapted to be received between the spring clips which is furnished by the two spaced plates 01. and 52 which are erected in longitudinally extending slots in the base 4, they being held therein in any suitable manner, for instance by the pin 53. The upper ends are resilient and flared, as indicated at 54, to receive the lower sharpened edge of the blade, and to increase the resiliency such plates 51 and 52 may be vertically slitted as shown at 55. The plate 51 is also preferably stamped or otherwise operated upon to cut all integral tongue 58 therefrom which is pressed inwardly so as to form a stop for the blade 30.

To the blade 30 is attached an operating handle 56 by means of a blade lock 57 having the vertical opening to receive such blade, and being held thereto in any desired manner.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and arrangements of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to such features except as may be required by the claims, which cover single or double throw switches of single or multiple blades.

I claim: a

1. An electric switch including clips, 2:. switch knife hinged in one of said clips and adapted to swing into and out of engagement with the other of said clips, said switch knife including a beam, a pair of blades with their ends separated and engaged with said beam, a fire guard for said beam, a fuse connected between the adjacent ends of said blades, and a housing for said fuse, substantially as described.

2. An electric switch including a pair of clips, a switch knife hinged in one of said clips and adapted to swing into and out of engagement with the other of said clips, said switch knife including a beam of channel construction, a pair of blades having their ends fitted in opposite ends of said channel beam, a fuse connected to the adjacent ends of said blades, a fire guard of channel construction interposed between said fuse and beam, means passing through said beam, guard, blades and fuse for securing same together, and a housing for said fuse, substantially as described.

3. An electric switch ll'ltilltllllg a pair of clips, a switch knife hinged in one of said clips and adapted to swing into and out of engagement with the other of said clips to close and open the circuit, said knife switch including a pair of separated blades, a beam of insulating material having flanges for embracing the adjacent ends of said blades, a fuse, clamping blocks fitted to the rear of said bann and in front of said fuse, and fastening means passing through said clamping blocks and intermediate parts, substantially as described.

4-. A n electric switch including a pair of spaced clips, a pivot bolt in one of said clips, a knife switch composed of a pair of blades, one of said blades having a slot therein open through one edge thereof and detachably hinged on said bolt, the other blade formed with a knife edge adapted to move into and out of the other clip, a channel beam of in sulating material receiving the ends of said blades, a fuse connected between said blade ends, a fire guard interposed between said fuse and beam, clamping blocks fitted to the rear face of said beam and in front of said fuse ends, fastening means passing through said clamping blocks and intermediate parts, and a rotatable housing for said fuse having an opening for giving access to the fuse, substantially as described.

5. An electric switch including a knife having a blade formed with a slot opening through one edge thereof and an enlargement projecting from each side of the blade and about the inner end of the slot, a clip composed of a pair of spaced plates having alining perforations therein in registry with said slot, the adjacent faces of said plates about said perforations being formed with sockets to receive the enlargements on said blade, a bolt passing through said perforatlons and slot whereby to mount the blade to swing and to allow of the detaclnnent of the blade from the clip, and a second clip into and out of which thp switch knife is adapted to swing, substantially as described.

(3. An electric switch including a pair of alined, longitudinally separated blades, a beam of insulating material receiving the adjacent ends of said blades, a fuse connected between the adjacent ends of said blades, a housing lIlL'lOb'lIIg said fuse. a head at one end of said housing having threaded engagement with said housing to permit the housing to revolve therein, a. disk forming the other head of said housing, a cap rotatable with said housing and having a flange to confine said disk in place, and clips, one of said blades being hinged in one of said clips and the other blade adapted to swing into and out of the other clip, substantially as described.

7. An electric switch including a pair of alined, longitudinally separated blades, a beam of insulating material receiving the adjacent ends of said blades, a fuse connected between the adjacent ends of said blades, a housing inclosing said fuse, a head at one end of said housing having threaded engagement with said housing to permit the housing to revolve with respect thereto, said head having openings therein for the escape of gases when the fuse blows, a disk forming the other head of said housing and also having gas-escape openings therein, a cap rotatable with said housing and having a flange to confine said disk in place, and clips, one of said blades being hinged in one of said clips and the other blade adapted to swing into and out of the other clip, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

ANDREW LANGSTAFF JOHNSTON, JR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

